Undisciplined pet has Mom in the dog house

Dear Annie: Let me begin by saying that I am a dog lover. I have three dogs, one of which goes to work with me every day. My dogs, however, are well-behaved members of my family.
My mother has a dog, too. I'll call him "Bruce." Bruce's main goal in life seems to be pooping in other people's homes. This animal actually stood in the middle of my couch and urinated. He has lifted his leg on every piece of furniture I own, not to mention the permanent carpet stains he's left at the homes of relatives.
Bruce is not neutered and pesters my poor, spayed female dog to no end. When he's at my house, I have to hide her away so she can have some peace, and I resent it. Unfortunately, Mom refuses to go anywhere without Bruce and becomes upset if any of us indicate that he is not welcome in our homes.
Mom is rarely invited to visit the relatives anymore and, to be quite honest, I've reached the end of my rope as well. How can we make her understand that we'd love to spend more time with her, but she has to leave that darned dog somewhere else? Memphis, Tenn.
Dear Memphis: Sounds like Mom is in the doghouse with the family, and rightly so. There's no reason for you to put up with such a lack of respect from your own mother. Tell her point-blank that her dog is an undisciplined mess and is not welcome in your home unless he is house-trained or wears a diaper. If she refuses to comply, tell her you will be more than happy to visit her at another location.
Dear Annie: My boyfriend, "Mitch," and I are both 51 years old, divorced and living together. His youngest daughter and my youngest son live with us.
We planned to have a family dinner at our house and included all of Mitch's relatives. Two days before the dinner, Mitch told me his older girls (ages 23 and 31) were bringing their mother to our dinner because she was visiting from out of town.
Mitch and his first wife were married for 16 years and have been divorced a long time, but he still harbors fond feelings for their time together. I was upset that neither he nor his daughters asked me if it was OK if they brought the ex-wife. I told him that was hurtful, although had he asked me, I probably would have invited her. Mitch accused me of being insecure.
Worse yet, once the ex-wife arrived, she went directly into my kitchen to help Mitch with the cooking. I kept my cool and was polite to her, as she was to me. However, I did feel somewhat uncomfortable. Was I wrong? This disagreement has turned serious, and I am considering ending the relationship. Don't Get No Respect
Dear Respect: You absolutely should have been asked about bringing the ex, and Mitch should not be blaming you for being upset. Is there any reason for you to be worried about the relationship between them? The fact that the relationship is cordial is OK. We say, unless you have cause for concern, let this one go. Since the ex lives out of town, this type of thing won't happen often. You handled it with grace and are to be commended, but tell Mitch that next time, he must discuss it with you in advance.
Creators Syndicate
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